| From | Cameroon | ||||
| Gender | male | ||||
| Birth | 4 February 1994, Douala, Wouri, Littoral, Cameroon | ||||
| Age: | 26 years | ||||
| Star sign | Aquarius | ||||
| Stats |
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Pascal Siakam (born April 2, 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After attending New Mexico State University and playing basketball for the Aggies, Siakam was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.
Early life
Siakam was born in Douala, Cameroon to Tchamo and Victorie Siakam as the youngest of four brothers. Tchamo was formerly a worker at a local transit company and was also the mayor of Makénéné. Pascal was initially planned to become a Catholic priest, but had grown to love the game of basketball. Siakam was discovered as a player by Luc Mbah a Moute at a local Basketball Without Borders camp. With Mbah a Moute helping out as a mentor, Siakam moved to the United States at age 16 from one camp to the next to devote himself to being a better professional basketball player before settling at Lewisville, Texas. He spent a year at God’s Academy in Lewisville, due to previously being labeled as ineligible for play earlier, before being recruited by New Mexico State University.
College career
Siakam first attended New Mexico State University in 2013. However, because of an injury, he redshirted the 2013–14 season. During his redshirted freshman year at New Mexico State in 2014–15, Siakam was named the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. He averaged 20.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 34 games in 2015–16 en route to unanimous Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.
On April 19, 2016, Siakam declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | New Mexico State | 34 | 27 | 30.8 | .572 | .000 | .759 | 7.7 | 1.3 | .8 | 1.8 | 12.8 |
| 2015–16 | New Mexico State | 34 | 34 | 34.6 | .538 | .200 | .678 | 11.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 20.2 |
| Career | 68 | 61 | 32.7 | .551 | .176 | .711 | 9.7 | 1.5 | .9 | 2.0 | 16.5 | |
Professional career
Toronto Raptors (2016–present)
On June 23, 2016, Siakam was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. On July 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors. On October 26, 2016, Siakam became the first Toronto rookie to start a season opener since Jonas Valančiūnas in 2012, and rose to the occasion, hauling in nine rebounds to go along with four points in 21 minutes in a 109–91 win over the Detroit Pistons. On December 3, 2016, he scored a season-high 14 points in a 128–84 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On January 1, 2017, he recorded a season-high 10 rebounds in a 123–114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Siakam started at power forward in all 34 games to start the 2016–17 season before being replaced in the starting line-up by Lucas Nogueira on January 5, 2017. During his rookie season, Siakam received multiple assignments to Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate. In April 2017, he helped Raptors 905 win the NBA Development League Championship. They defeated the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2–1, as Siakam averaged 23.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the series. He was subsequently named the NBA D-League Finals MVP for his performance.
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Toronto | 55 | 38 | 15.6 | .502 | .143 | .688 | 3.4 | .3 | .5 | .8 | 4.2 |
| Career | 55 | 38 | 15.6 | .502 | .143 | .688 | 3.4 | .3 | .5 | .8 | 4.2 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Toronto | 2 | 0 | 5.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.5 | .5 | .5 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 5.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.5 | .5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | |
Personal life
Siakam is the son of Tchamo Siakam, the former mayor of Makénéné, Cameroon, and Victorie Siakam. His father, Tchamo, died in a car crash in October 2014. His three older brothers, Boris, Christian, and James, all played college basketball in the United States. The last of his brothers is now a professional basketball player for the Island Storm in the NBL Canada.